As Tallahassee State College is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its dental program, the half-a-century mark comes with a new beginning that will alleviate an extensive waitlist of 300 dental professionals across the state.
Through a partnership with the Florida Dental Association, TSC is now the first college in the Florida State College System to become a training site for dental assistants and dental hygienists interested in completing what is called a Restorative Functions for Dental Auxiliary Certification Program, which will allow them to perform expanded functions in the field.
The announcement about the future of dental education at TSC was shared during a Sept. 16 press conference in the dental simulation lab on the college’s campus, which brought together college officials, students, graduates and faculty members.
“We’re excited about what we’re doing and what we’ve done to get to this point,” TSC’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Calandra Stringer told the Tallahassee Democrat. “We’re also starting to think about how we can continue to be innovative as we move forward.”
Before the new TSC offering, the restorative dental care training in the state – which is a five-month course – was only offered at the University of Florida, which currently has a waitlist of 300 individuals waiting to register for it. “We’ll now be another destination option for them to come get that training,” Stringer said.
The certification course provides dental assistants and dental hygienists with specialized training that meets Florida Board of Dentistry standards, according to the college. The program combines online curriculum with in-person clinical training, allowing the professionals to expand their skills in restorative procedures such as cavity preparation, adhesive restorations and stainless-steel crown placement.
Drew Eason, CEO and executive director of the Tallahassee-headquartered Florida Dental Association, says the partnership with TSC to make the new offering a reality is a “great opportunity.” The association has the goal of advancing dental education and strengthening the oral healthcare workforce across the state.
“We’ll be able to get trained dental assistants and hygienists from all over the Panhandle,” Eason said. “I think we have other people even from Tampa who are interested in coming up here just to take this course. It’s going to serve the needs of the workforce in the Tallahassee area, for sure.”
The 50-year-old Dental Hygiene Program on TSC’s campus – accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation – prepares students for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and for licensure as registered dental hygienists. It has consistently had 100% certification passing rates in the past several years, according to a TSC Student Achievement report.
In addition, the TSC program has a dental simulation lab to give students a hands-on experience and a Dental Hygiene Clinic, which accepts patients in order to help the community while accomplishing the primary goal of fostering student learning.
Besides the new certification training being offered through TSC’s dental program, TSC officials announced that the college has also been named an American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) testing site for the National Board Dental Hygiene licensure exam.
While most ADEX testing sites are concentrated in central and south Florida, Pensacola is the closest site to TSC, which the college’s dental students have had to travel to in order to take the exam. TSC alumnus Cody Prebble, a 2022 graduate of the Dental Hygiene Program, recalled the stressful inconvenience of having to take a three-hour drive to Pensacola for the required test.
“This availability on TSC’s campus will definitely take a layer of stress off of students and will allow them to take the exam in a more comfortable setting,” Pebble, a 29-year-old Fort Myers native, told the Democrat. He currently works as a dental hygienist and clinical manager at Periodontics & Implant Dentistry of Tallahassee.
The launch of TSC’s new Heroes in Healthcare awards program – designed to spotlight different healthcare disciplines each year – was also a part of the college’s 50th anniversary celebration.
As TSC prepares to implement the new changes within its dental program, the new certification course is set to begin Oct. 31 and is open to dental assistants, hygienists and dentists. Interested professionals can contact the Florida Dental Association at RFDA@floridadental.org.
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TSC dental program celebrates 50 years with new certificate offering, testing site option
Reporting by Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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